Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cost and Hours:
Tour-€13, daily 10:00-18:00, last tour at 16:00, 2/hour in summer,
3/day in winter, on-site cafeteria, tel. 021/461-3594,
www.jamesonwhiskey.com
.
Getting There:
It's 12 miles (19 km) east of Cork in Midleton, about a mile off N-25,
the main Cork-Waterford road. There's easy parking—just drive right into the distillery
lot.
If you're driving between Kinsale and the Ring of Kerry (see next chapter), you can easily
visit these sights (listed from east to west).
Blarney Stone and Castle
The town of Blarney is of no importance, and the 15th-century Blarney Castle is an empty
hulk (with little effort put forth to make it meaningful or interesting). It's only famous as
the place of tourist pilgrimage, where busloads line up to kiss a stone on its top rampart
and get “the gift of gab.” The stone's origin is shrouded in myth (perhaps brought back
from the Holy Land by crusaders). The best thing about this lame sight is the opportunity
to watch a cranky man lower lemming tourists over the edge, belly up and head back, to
